(This chapter is a 3-in-1)
After taking a moment to compose his complex emotions, Welt accepted Cocolia's invitation and sat down in an empty seat.
He had to admit, the Cocolia from his own world, back during his Anti-Entropy days, never had such a pleasant attitude. This made him feel slightly unaccustomed to it.
"Fu Zhu, can you let me see the state of the Stellaron first?"
The first thing Welt did after sitting down was to inquire about the Stellaron's condition from Fu Zhu.
Previously, when the Astral Express dealt with Stellarons, they would usually apply a seal or, in more drastic cases, have him create a pseudo-black hole to directly swallow some of the highly unstable ones.
Earlier on the Express, he had heard Dan Heng report that the Stellaron became incredibly stable after Fu Zhu held it in his hand. This made both Welt and Himeko quite astonished, and they both couldn't help but think of the Stellaron within Xing's body.
"Sure."
Fu Zhu took the Stellaron out from his inventory. It lay quietly in his palm, as peaceful as a simple, glowing orb that could be found anywhere.
Cocolia, also somewhat surprised, remarked from the side, "The Stellaron's voice has disappeared too..."
Before, no matter where the Stellaron was, its whispers would always echo in her mind. Only when Fu Zhu was near would the Stellaron fall silent, as if it had encountered a predator.
Welt rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on the Stellaron and Fu Zhu. This situation, so similar to Xing's, forced him to start suspecting a connection between Fu Zhu and the Stellaron Hunters.
And, the question everyone had deliberately ignored from the beginning: why did Fu Zhu appear on the Herta Space Station?
According to the information provided by Herta, after the two Stellaron Hunters invaded the Herta Space Station, they only used the station's technology on-site to print a body to house the Stellaron. There was no information about any operations for a second body.
So, where did Fu Zhu come from? Or could it be that he was also one of the Stellaron Hunters who invaded the Herta Space Station at that time?
Simply assigned to stay by Xing's side?
"Uncle Yang? What are you thinking about?"
Seeing Welt staring at him without speaking, Fu Zhu found it a bit strange and asked.
Welt snapped back to reality and quickly smiled, shaking his head.
"Nothing, I was just a bit surprised by your ability to seal the Stellaron. Perhaps in the future, all Stellarons can be handed over to you for sealing."
Indeed, he couldn't just casually suspect this child. He hadn't done anything detrimental to the Astral Express. Moreover, Dan Heng had also said that the Express crew held a high place in Fu Zhu's heart.
Perhaps he had merely misunderstood something about Fu Zhu.
Hearing Welt say that future Stellarons would all be handed over to him, Fu Zhu asked with some delight, "Then, Uncle Yang, can all the sealed Stellarons be given to me to use?"
Welt didn't refuse Fu Zhu's request for the Stellarons but repeatedly warned him about their dangers.
"Hmm? It's possible, yes, but I hope you remember that Stellarons are extremely dangerous things. No matter what you intend to use them for, you must always be mindful of your own safety and the safety of those around you. You mustn't let a Stellaron cause a secondary disaster."
"No problem!"
Fu Zhu readily agreed. For him, Stellarons were currently just materials to convert into items and blocks that couldn't be obtained through normal MC means.
Like monster spawners and bedrock.
Last night, Fu Zhu had even wondered if he could directly convert a Stellaron into an overpowered item like a command block, but the result was negative.
Thinking about it carefully, command blocks were rather special. Even in creative mode, they wouldn't appear in the item list and could only be obtained through specific commands.
Although it was a pity he couldn't convert Stellarons into command blocks, Fu Zhu thought of another special use for them!
As everyone knows, after MODs are added to MC, various items and blocks from the MODs will appear in the creative mode item list. So, could he directly use Stellarons to convert into various game-breaking items from MODs?
For example, overpowered items like the Sword of the Cosmos from Avaritia, or the Transmutation Tablet from Equivalent Exchange.
No matter which MOD it was, as long as he could convert even one item, his strength would receive a significant boost.
To do this, having a sufficient number of Stellarons was crucial!
At this moment, Fu Zhu felt that becoming a Trailblazer was the most correct choice he had ever made.
After Fu Zhu's request was granted, Welt continued to discuss matters concerning the Eternal Freeze and the Fragmentum with Cocolia.
Fu Zhu and the other juniors didn't need to say anything at all; they just had to sit quietly on the side and eat fruit.
However, this peaceful atmosphere didn't last long before it was interrupted by a young girl with purple hair and a petite frame, who suddenly pushed open the conference room door.
"Great Guardian! I have an urgent matter to report!"
Cocolia, whose meeting had been abruptly interrupted, looked up with some displeasure at the girl who had burst in.
"Adjutant Pela, how many times have I told you, this meeting is more important than anything else!"
This was a meeting that concerned the future of Belobog. How could any other matter be more important than this meeting, unless another Stellaron had descended upon Jarilo-VI?
Seeing Cocolia angry, Pela quickly bowed in apology. "I'm sorry, Great Guardian, but this matter concerns our Nameless guests!"
"Hmm? It concerns us?"
Welt looked at Pela with some confusion, then said to Cocolia, "Since it concerns us, Lady Cocolia, could you allow this young lady to explain the situation first?"
Hearing Pela say it was related to Fu Zhu and the others, Cocolia was no longer as angry as before. She gave Pela a slight nod, gesturing for her to speak directly.
Only after receiving Cocolia's permission did Pela begin to explain the situation to everyone.
"It's like this: we were originally carrying out Mr. Fu Zhu's arrangements, planting potatoes, carrots, and wheat in the Overworld and Underworld. However, when it came to the Underworld, a robot calling itself Svarog approached us.
It said someone was trying to manipulate its system, so it requested Mr. Fu Zhu's assistance."
"Someone wants to manipulate Svarog?"
Fu Zhu and the others blurted out in surprise, immediately drawing the gazes of Welt and Cocolia.
"You know this robot named Svarog?"
Fu Zhu nodded, then briefly described their experiences in the Underworld to Welt and Cocolia.
After Cocolia heard this, she immediately ordered Pela.
"Where is Svarog? Have Gepard personally bring it here."
Although, according to Fu Zhu's description, this robot named Svarog had already been "subdued" by Fu Zhu, to ensure the safety of the Express crew, Cocolia still decided to have the powerful Gepard act as a guard nearby.
"Yes, Great Guardian."
Pela exited the conference room. A short while later, Gepard walked in with Svarog, accompanied by the little girl, Clara.
Seeing Clara had also come, Xing asked with some confusion, "Clara, why did you come too?"
Upon seeing Fu Zhu and the others again, Clara immediately cried out for help, "Big brothers, big sisters, can you please help Mr. Svarog? Since this morning, a signal has been trying to invade his system, and Mr. Svarog said that the person calling themselves a Stellaron Hunter has been constantly talking within his system."
"Stellaron Hunter?!"
The moment Welt heard this name, he sat up straight, his expression serious as he looked at Svarog.
"You're Svarog, correct? Can you explain the situation to us?"
He hadn't expected the Stellaron Hunter who had escaped from the Herta Space Station to actually reappear on Jarilo-VI. Presumably, their targets were Xing and Fu Zhu!
Svarog, however, shook its head with some regret.
"I cannot analyze their objective from the Stellaron Hunter's brief words, so it would be best for them to explain."
As it spoke, Svarog raised its hand and pressed a switch on its head. A beam of light projected from its crimson mono-eye, quickly sketching a virtual figure before everyone.
A rather petite figure was seen sitting cross-legged on a chair, her left hand rubbing her fair foot, while her right hand occasionally typed on a keyboard. Her delicate features were currently furrowed due to some issue, and she muttered from time to time.
"Damn it, isn't the technology on Jarilo-VI supposed to be quite backward? Even with corporate support from a few hundred years ago, it should only be at the level of several centuries past. Why is there a strange line of source code in this machine's system?
Damn it, how can I not bypass this strange source code! This is even harder to infiltrate than the Herta Space Station's system... If this fails, how am I going to face Kafka and Elio!
Huh? The remote projection system activated automatically? I didn't start this... Wait a minute..."
Silver Wolf's expression suddenly changed. After rapidly typing a few times on the keyboard, the originally one-way remote projection system became two-way, and she also saw Fu Zhu and the others sitting in the conference room.
Silver Wolf blinked, somewhat bewildered. Her right foot, which had been propped on her left leg, recoiled shyly and was quietly placed back on the ground.
Fu Zhu and the others also stared at the virtual Silver Wolf with odd expressions. So this was the infamous Stellaron Hunter from across the galaxy?
Why did she look so much like an internet-addicted young girl!
However, what concerned Fu Zhu more was that Silver Wolf had just mentioned a line of source code in Svarog's system that she couldn't bypass. That line of code was the "culprit" preventing her from controlling Svarog's system.
He couldn't help but think of the Redstone circuit he had previously slapped onto Svarog's back to forcibly shut it down.
Svarog at that time had said something similar to what Silver Wolf was saying. It seemed quite obvious that his Redstone circuit had stopped Silver Wolf's invasion.
In that case, the priority of Redstone circuits was even higher than he had imagined!
Next time he was summoned by Nous, he should try to see if he had a chance to slap a Redstone circuit onto Nous and then shut it down. That sounded like it would be very interesting!
While Fu Zhu was fantasizing about interesting scenarios for his next meeting with Nous, the awkward atmosphere in the room persisted.
Silver Wolf, after awkwardly fidgeting with her toes for a moment, then turned her head and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Kafka!"
"What is it?"
Another female voice sounded from off-screen, and Kafka then entered the frame. She glanced at everyone, then smiled and praised Silver Wolf.
"Very impressive, just as expected of you. But next time, be more careful and let me handle the appearance. Directly opening a remote projection like this will reveal yourself too, you know."
Silver Wolf's face flushed red as she lowered her head. Even Welt and the others awkwardly looked away.
Sometimes, praise from one's own side was the most embarrassing.
However, as a reliable adult, Welt naturally wouldn't let this awkward atmosphere linger for too long. After a light cough, he fixed a stern gaze on Kafka's projection.
"Stellaron Hunters, what is your purpose in suddenly contacting us?"
Seeing Welt break the silence and change the subject, Silver Wolf couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude.
The Nameless of the Astral Express were indeed good people!
She also took this opportunity to quickly put on her slippers and scurry away. If she stayed any longer, she felt she would drown in this atmosphere called embarrassment!
Kafka sat down in Silver Wolf's seat, propping her chin on her right hand which rested on the table, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.
"Firstly, please allow me to congratulate the members of the Astral Express on successfully resolving the Stellaron crisis on Jarilo-VI. Secondly, I'd like to ask the Astral Express to work a little overtime."
"What do you mean?"
Kafka didn't answer immediately but extended a slender finger and tapped lightly on the keyboard. A projection of a massive dreadnought appeared before Fu Zhu and the others.
"This is the Luofu, one of the Xianzhou Alliance's ships. It is currently in a star system near the Astral Express. And on the Luofu, there is also a Stellaron about to erupt. If I put it this way, you all should understand my meaning, right?
I hope the Astral Express will proceed to the Xianzhou Luofu after leaving Jarilo-VI."
Fu Zhu stared at Kafka for a few moments, then turned to Welt and asked, "Uncle Yang, what are the Xianzhou Alliance and the Luofu?"
"A large alliance composed of six massive interstellar warships, believing in [The Hunt] Lan."
Welt gave Fu Zhu a brief explanation, then looked at Kafka with a rather unfriendly expression.
"As far as I know, the Xianzhou Alliance itself possesses the ability to seal Stellarons, and their strength far surpasses that of the Astral Express. Based on this point alone, the Stellaron crisis on the Luofu does not require the Astral Express's intervention at all."
"What if you add an Emanator of Destruction and us Stellaron Hunters to the equation?"
Kafka maintained her smile, her eyes narrowed as she stared at Fu Zhu and the others.
After a long moment, she stood up and casually typed a set of coordinates on the keyboard.
"These are the interstellar coordinates of the Luofu. Believe me, the members of the Astral Express will definitely show up. Well then, until next time~"
After leaving the interstellar coordinates, Kafka made a gesture as if to cut off the communication.
Xing, who had been sitting quietly beside Fu Zhu, suddenly called out to her.
"Wait, Kafka!"
Kafka turned her head, looked温柔地 at Xing, and shook her head at her.
"I know what you want to say, what you want to ask. Let's save those words for a slow chat on the Luofu. Besides..."
Kafka shifted her gaze to Fu Zhu, who was beside Xing.
"Fu Zhu... right? I hope we can meet on the Luofu. I have many things I want to ask you too. That's all. Farewell, members of the Astral Express."
This time, Kafka decisively cut off the communication, giving neither Xing nor Fu Zhu a chance to speak.
After Kafka's communication ended, silence fell upon the room.
Cocolia was the first to stand up, beckoning Bronya, Seele, and others who were not part of the Astral Express to leave the conference room.
These were internal matters for the Astral Express; they needed to give the Express crew some space to make their own decisions.
After Cocolia had left with her group, Welt finally asked everyone.
"What do you think? Should the Astral Express go to the Luofu?"
Dan Heng was the first to stand up and reject the plan to go to the Luofu. "This is very likely a trap set by the Stellaron Hunters. I advise against going."
Hearing Dan Heng's words, Xing became a little anxious. She really wanted to go to the Luofu to see Kafka and ask about her past, but she didn't know how to say it. She could only look pleadingly at Fu Zhu beside her.
"Bro, do you think we should go?"
Although Xing was asking, the longing in her eyes to go to the Luofu was apparent to anyone.
Fu Zhu rubbed his chin and muttered, "The Stellaron Hunters suddenly sought us out; they definitely have a plan, and this plan is certainly laid out for the Astral Express.
But considering our responsibilities on the Astral Express, we can't ignore it no matter what. It's just that... for safety's sake, why should we proceed to the Luofu according to the Stellaron Hunters' calculated timing?"
March 7th, sitting on the other side, asked with some curiosity, "So what do you mean?"
"Make ample preparations before heading to the Luofu."
Before going to the Luofu, Fu Zhu felt it was absolutely necessary to get himself a set of enchanted diamond equipment and also to enhance the strength of the Express crew members.
At least that way, even if they fell into a Stellaron Hunter's trap, they would have the means to resist.
Welt greatly appreciated Fu Zhu's cautious attitude. He then smiled and reassured the somewhat anxious group.
"You don't need to be so tense. The matters on Jarilo-VI haven't been completely resolved yet, and Himeko still doesn't know about the Stellaron Hunters. So even if we are to go to the Luofu, it will be several days later. Before then, you can all relax properly. Don't let the Stellaron Hunters' words disturb your peace of mind."
"Alright." ×N
.....
After cutting off the remote projection communication, Kafka returned to the counter and poured herself another glass of red wine. Silver Wolf also ran over from the sofa on the other side and sat down beside Kafka, slumping listlessly onto the counter.
"Kafka, can you please not assign me tasks like this in the future?"
This was the first time Silver Wolf had felt so unconfident about her hacking skills.
It was also the first time Kafka had seen Silver Wolf say such a thing and show such a lack of confidence.
"What's wrong?"
Silver Wolf lay瘫在 on the counter and sighed, "It's clearly a very backward planet, yet that Svarog has a line of source code that I just can't crack... Could it be corporate technology?"
"No, that's not corporate technology."
Elio's virtual black cat form appeared on the counter again. It raised a front paw and pressed it on Silver Wolf's head, comforting her.
"That's a technology called Redstone. You don't need to feel so inferior. You should know that Redstone circuitry is a technology whose principles even Nous understands but cannot replicate or reverse, let alone you."
Silver Wolf looked up with a somewhat exasperated expression and rolled her eyes.
"Thanks a lot! I feel so comforted...."
"Since you're comforted, Silver Wolf, are you interested in working some more overtime?" Elio asked tentatively.
Hearing this, Silver Wolf immediately propped herself up, her small face filled with resistance.
"No way! Even if we're Stellaron Hunters, we have to abide by the law! Before I joined the Stellaron Hunters, you never said I'd have to work a 996 schedule! The game I'm playing has a new event, and I'm waiting to go grind it!"
Seeing Silver Wolf so resistant, Elio wasn't flustered. He chuckled and asked in return, "What if I told you that the overtime I want you to work is also related to a game?"
Hearing this, the resistance on Silver Wolf's face lessened slightly.
"Let's hear it?"
"I want you to return to the Herta Space Station. Herta, the genius there, is currently researching a technology called the Simulated Universe. And the basis for developing the Simulated Universe is a peculiar round stone given by Fu Zhu.
If possible, I hope you can infiltrate the Simulated Universe and halt or delay its progress."
"Huh? Is this matter very important?"
Silver Wolf didn't quite understand. Although Elio said it was related to a game, it also involved Herta, which immediately dampened Silver Wolf's interest significantly.
Kafka also looked at Elio with some confusion.
"Shouldn't our current focus be on the Astral Express? Why send Silver Wolf to the Herta Space Station?"
"I don't want to either..."
Elio sighed and said faintly, "After you went to Jarilo-VI to inform the Astral Express about the Luofu, I briefly glimpsed a fragment of the future.
In the future, Herta successfully perfects the Simulated Universe. And after Fu Zhu and Xing enter the Simulated Universe, what should have been a simulated world becomes reality.
Remember that Dragon of the Terminus I told you about? Its herald will emerge from the Simulated Universe after that. It will observe the outside world through the eyes of its dark herald.
If it is allowed to emerge from the Simulated Universe, I'm afraid I will completely lose the power of [Terminus], and the future will no longer be observable."
After listening to Elio's long speech, Silver Wolf felt a bit of a headache.
"Sounds like a very serious matter, which means... I have no choice but to go?"
Elio smiled and nodded, patting her head with a fleshy paw.
"Yes, and I assure you, the world Fu Zhu creates will be very satisfying to you."
Translators note : i have revised for better comprehension . apologies..